National Guard of Russia

National Guard Troops Federal Service of the Russian Federation
Федеральная служба войск национальной гвардии Российской Федерации
Patch of the National Guard
Patch of the National Guard
Emblem of the National Guard of Russia
Emblem of the National Guard of Russia
Badge of the National Guard
Badge of the National Guard
Flag of the National Guard
Flag of the National Guard
Common nameРосгвардия (Rosgvardiya)
from Rossiyskaya (Russian) and gvardiya (Guard)
MottoВсегда на страже (Vsegda na strazhe)
Always on guard
Agency overview
Formed2016
Preceding agencies
Employees340,000[1]
Jurisdictional structure
Federal agency
(Operations jurisdiction)		Russia
Operations jurisdictionRussia
Population145 million
Legal jurisdictionRussian Federation
Governing bodySecurity Council of Russia
Constituting instrument
  • Federal Law No. 226-FZ of 03.07.2016
General nature
Specialist jurisdictions
  • National border patrol, security, and integrity.
  • Paramilitary law enforcement, counter insurgency, and riot control.
Operational structure
Headquarters9 Krasnokazarmennaya Street, Moscow
Elected officer responsible
Agency executives
  • Viktor Zolotov, Director
  • Viktor Strigunov, First Deputy Director
  • Yury Yashin, Chief of the Main Staff
  • Oleg Plokhoi, State Secretary
Parent agencySecurity Council of Russia
Notables
Significant Battles
Anniversary
  • 27 March, National Guardsmen's Day
Website

The National Guard of the Russian Federation (Russian: Федеральная служба войск национальной гвардии Российской Федерации, romanized: Federalnaya sluzhba voysk natsionalnoy gvardii Rossiyskoy Federatsii), officially known as the Rosgvardiya (Russian: Росгвардия, lit. 'Rosguard'),[2] is the national gendarmerie and internal military force of the Russian Federation. It is an independent agency that reports directly to the President of Russia, under the president's powers as Commander in Chief of the Russian Armed Forces and Chairman of the Russian Security Council.[3]

The National Guard is separate from the Russian Armed Forces.[3] It became a federal executive body in 2016 by a law signed by President Putin. The National Guard states that its mission is to secure Russia's borders, take charge of gun control, combat terrorism and organized crime, protect public order and guard important state facilities.[4]

The establishment of the National Guard was seen[by whom?] as an effort to enhance efficiency and to avoid duplication of responsibilities within the Russian security system,[5] a result of the large amount of strategic challenges faced by Russia.[6]: 6  Others have accused the National Guard of being an attempt by President Putin to create a private army to control civil strife or attempts of another colour revolution,[5] not only domestically, but also abroad, in friendly regimes.[7]

As of 2018, the National Guard consisted of approximately 340,000 personnel in 84 units across Russia. It includes the forces of the former Internal Troops of Russia, SOBR, OMON, and other internal military forces outside of the Russian Armed Forces.[1]

In 2017, President Putin designated 27 March, the same day Emperor Alexander I organised the Internal Guards Corps [ru] in 1811 of the Old Style Julian calendar, as National Guard Day.[8]

  1. ^ a b "Russian National Guard Reaches 340,000 Men". 25 November 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  2. ^ Official website.
  3. ^ a b "21-я бригада оперативного назначения войск национальной гвардии России награждена орденом Жукова". rosgvard.ru (in Russian). Russia. Temporary Information Center of the Russian Federation FSVNG. 25 May 2016. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  4. ^ "Russian Federation Council Approves New National Guard". The Moscow Times. Interfax. 29 June 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  5. ^ a b McDermott, Roger (12 April 2016). "Countering Color Revolution Drives Russia's Creation of National Guard". Eurasia Daily Monitor. 13 (71). Archived from the original on 13 February 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2016. The reform adds no additional structures to the system, but moves existing structures to create a new overall entity with increased powers to act against color revolutionary or terrorist threats to the state; it is an effort to enhance efficiency and avoid duplication of responsibilities within the system, though it adds operational-search capability (Regnum, April 11).
  6. ^ Sliwa, Zdzislaw (2018). The Russian National Guard:A Warning or a Message? (PDF). Centre for Security and Strategic Research. pp. 6, 8, 20. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference RCW19Jul16 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Executive Order establishing National Guard Day". President of Russia. Russia: Kremlin. 16 January 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2017.